


Alexander Hamilton Isn't Always Right (Especially When It Comes To Thomas Jefferson)

by featherlight221b



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Ravenclaw James, Slytherin Thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 09:04:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11597421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/featherlight221b/pseuds/featherlight221b
Summary: James befriends a Slytherin named Thomas Jefferson. He really doesn't understand what does Alex have against him.





	Alexander Hamilton Isn't Always Right (Especially When It Comes To Thomas Jefferson)

James looked at his reflection in the mirror. His Ravenclaw robes looked good on him. They fit perfectly, they were clean and he loved the pretty blue colour of his tie. His haircut was short. His brown eyes were bright and there was a small smile on his face. He was excited. Finally, after so many years of dreaming about it, he became a Hogwarts student. James couldn’t wait to learn many different spells, to learn how to brew potions, to see if he was any good at Quidditch and to make new friends. The next seven years were going to be wonderful.

“Come on, James, we can’t be late,” his dorm mate, Alexander Hamilton, said, sounding as excited as James felt.

He wasn’t disappointed. By the end of the first week of school, he couldn’t feel happier. His favourite subject was probably History of Magic, but it seemed like he and Alex were the only ones who actually enjoyed it. He didn’t know why though. Maybe Professor Binns wasn’t a good teacher, but James and Alex would usually just go through the textbook, not listening to what Binns was saying, then take notes and discuss what they had read. Transfiguration was great as well. Yes, it was hard, but James felt a great satisfaction whenever he managed to get something right. Quidditch, however, didn’t turn out to be even half as great as he expected it to be. Flying was hard and rather scary to be honest.

It was already the middle of November when he met Thomas Jefferson. He had heard about the boy before. Thomas was known to be very intelligent and charismatic, one of the best students the Slytherin House ever had, much smarter and more talented than most of second years. He was also a Beater in the Slytherin Quidditch team and if what James had heard was true, he was really good at Quidditch. But most of the things that James heard about Thomas was how annoying and obnoxious he was, how his hair looked stupid and how his opinions on different matters didn’t make sense. All of these things he had heard from the one and only Alexander Hamilton, who claimed that Thomas Jefferson became his biggest enemy from the moment they talked for the first time. It was hatred at the first sight.

However, James never felt the need to meet the Slytherin and find out why Alex hated the boy so much. He probably wouldn’t meet him for much longer if not for the coincidence that Thomas happened to break his arm during a Quidditch practice and had to go to the hospital wing at the same time that James went to Madame Pomfrey for a healing potion that he had to take regularly because of his health condition.

James didn’t know who Thomas was when he saw him waiting for Madame Pomfrey to finish taking care of some other students. Of course he had seen him a few times before, but he didn’t know that this was the famous Thomas Jefferson. However, there was something about him that intrigued James. Maybe it was the way he looked around the room with a calm face and confidence clear in his eyes, not showing a sign of feeling pain because of his broken  arm.  Maybe it was the way he narrowed his eyes at him and frowned, despite the fact they didn’t know each other.

“Hello,” James said quietly, before sitting down as far as possible from the stranger.

“You’re the kid that hangs out with Hamilton,” the Slytherin said.

“Yes,” he nodded his head. “Who are you?”

The other boy eyed him suspiciously for a moment. Eventually, he reached out his hand and James shook it hesitantly.

“Thomas Jefferson,”  the Slytherin introduced himself.

Oh. That explained why he acted so cold. He probably didn’t even believe that James wasn’t aware of who he was. After all, Alex did complain about Jefferson all the time.  It looked like they really hated each other.

“Oh,” he said out loud. “Nice to meet you.”

Thomas snorted.

“I’d never thought anyone who’s friends with Hamilton would say that it’s nice to meet me,” he muttered.

“Well, I know that you and Alex aren’t on good terms, but it doesn’t meant that _we_ should be enemies as well, does it?” James asked.

The Slytherin was quiet for a moment. He looked at him with a slight curiosity.

“I guess it doesn’t,” he said eventually.

They didn’t get a chance to talk again too soon. Mainly because of the fact that James hung out with Alex and whenever Thomas and Alexander tried talking to each other, it would end up being another huge argument. However, every time he passed by Thomas, he said ‘hello’ to the boy, who in response always gave him a nod as a form of greeting, much to Hamilton’s dismay.

“He’s horrible, trust me, James. You don’t wanna have anything to do with him,” Alex told him.

“Why exactly do you hate him so much?” James asked curiously.

“He’s such a prick! He doesn’t agree with _anything_ I say, he always argues with me and he never admits that he’s wrong!” Alex huffed in annoyance.

“Do you ever admit that you’re wrong?” James raised an eyebrow.

“No, but that’s different! I never admit that I’m wrong because I never am wrong,” Alexander said.

However, as months passed, his friendship with Alex slowly faded and he started getting closer to Thomas. It was around Christmas when Alexander befriended a group of Gryffindors, Laurens, Lafayette and Mulligan. He didn’t abandon James entirely, but the amount of time they spent together decreased drastically. James wasn’t that attached to Alex to feel miserable, but loneliness still bothered him. So he decided to try and befriend the first person that came to his mind. Thomas Jefferson.

It started with James coming to see every Quidditch match that Slytherin team played and congratulating Thomas whenever Slytherin won. The other boy didn’t seem to care but he didn’t mind either. When James stopped to talk to him one time, he was surprised but he politely answered to all of the Ravenclaw’s question and asked him how he was doing, before heading off to wherever he was going.

“Hello, Thomas,” James greeted him when he noticed him sitting by the lake on a Sunday afternoon. “What are you doing?”

“Reading,” Jefferson replied, not looking up from the book on his lap.

“Is it a good book?” James asked.

“Yes. So don’t be offended, but I’ll ask you to leave so I can read in peace.”

“Oh. Okay. Goodbye, Thomas.”

“Have a good day, James,” Thomas said.

“Thank you.”

They didn’t became friends until James’s second year. It was late. He was going back to his dorm from the detention. Not that he was the type to get detention often, but it was easy to piss off professor Snape when you got into an argument with him. The point is, he was passing by the library, no one else in sight. Then, he heard muffled sobbing. He stopped abruptly. Was someone crying? Yes, it could be a student. But it could also be Peeves playing a prank on him. Oh well. Taking some risk couldn’t hurt him.

James walked in the direction from where the sobbing was coming. When he saw the source of the sound, he froze in shock. Thomas Jefferson was sitting on the floor, his back leaning on the bookcase, a letter in his hands, tears streaming down his face. He slowly walked up to the Slytherin. When Thomas noticed him, he stood up rapidly.

“Um,” he said. “Hello, James. I gotta – I gotta go.”

“Thomas,” James stopped him by grabbing his wrist. “What happened?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Thomas said coolly.

“I just found you sobbing on the floor. Obviously something happened,” James said.

“It’s not your business,” Jefferson protested.

There was a moment of silence. James wasn’t letting go of the Slytherin’s wrist and Thomas was glaring daggers at him. Eventually, he sighed heavily.

“Fine,” he muttered and gave the Ravenclaw the letter he was holding. “Read it.”

James hesitantly let go of the other boy’s wrist and took the letter in his hands. Thomas sat down back on the floor. James joined him and stared at the letter. Should he read it? Thomas gave it to him, so he had a permission to. But it still didn’t feel right.

“I won’t read your correspondence,” he said. “Just tell me what happened.”

“Martha,” Thomas choked out.

“Who’s Martha?” asked James.

“Martha’s my friend. My Muggle friend. S-she... I received a l-letter today. F-from my mother. M-Martha was going to v-visit her aunt with h-her parents and there was a... a car a-accident. She... s-she... Martha – “ Thomas didn’t finish the sentence.

James put a hand on his shoulder. Thomas closed his eyes and let out another sob. He looked awful. James pulled him into a hug, trying to ignore the fact that the other boy’s robes were wet with tears which was a little gross.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“You’re not. You didn’t know her,” Thomas said harshly.

“I know you. I’m not sorry for Martha. I’m sorry for your loss,” James said.

They sat in silence, James hugging crying Thomas. For the first time, it felt as if they were friends. As if they cared for each other. It was nice. It was so different from what James had with Alex. Alexander was nice to him and they liked talking to each other. But they never hugged. They never comforted each other. Friendship with Thomas looked so much more promising.

After the incident, Thomas smiled at James warmly every day. He talked with him more enthusiastically. Maybe they didn’t spend that much amount of time together yet, but they definitely became friends.

“You were great,” James told Thomas after a Quidditch match.

“I was, wasn’t I? Ah, I feel awesome. It was a wonderful match,” Thomas said.

“It really was,” agreed the Ravenclaw.

“Thanks. It’s good to have someone who appreciates me,” Jefferson grinned.

They became best friends during James’s third year. He was being bullied by two fourth-years that made fun of his sickness, when Thomas noticed it and decided to defend his friend.

“Hey! What the fuck are you two doing? Leave him alone!” he shouted at the two bullies.

The taller of the bullies looked in Thomas’s direction.

“Chill, mate. We’re just teasing him,” he said.

“Yeah. Don’t you like to laugh at some losers sometimes?” asked the other one.

The look Thomas gave them was murderous. He slowly walked up to the taller bully and took his wand out of his pocket, before pointing it at the boy.

“Leave. Him. The. Fuck. Alone,” he repeated slowly.

“Woah, Jefferson, calm down. No need to – “

“My God, you’re more dense than Hamilton,” Thomas muttered. “ _Go away or I’ll hex you_.”

The bully blinked, before running away. The other one quickly followed his friend. James coughed a few times, then looked at the Slytherin, who was still glaring in the direction in which the bullies had run off.

“Thank you, Thomas,” he said.

“Does it happen often?” the boy asked, furious.

“Not really. Occasionally some jerks make fun of me. But that’s all,” James shrugged.

“Jerks,” Thomas said. “You okay?”

“Yes, I am,” James nodded his head.

“Good. Just hang out with me more, they’ll leave you alone.”

“I told you that usually no one bothers me,” James said.

“So you don’t want to hang out with me more?” Thomas asked.

“What? Of course I do! I just – yeah, sure.”

“Good,” Thomas smiled.

From then, they became almost inseparable. They studied together, they hung out together, they went to Hogsmeade together. It was amazing. James never realized that having a best friend could make him so happy. But Thomas was a wonderful person. Sure, he could be somewhat narcissistic and snobbish sometimes, but at the same time he was incredibly intelligent and loyal and funny and kind.

It was April, James’s fourth year, when Thomas started dating Angelica Schuyler. James hated it. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Angelica. She was a nice, smart girl. But didn’t like how much time Thomas started spending with her instead of him or when they held hands or kissed in front of him. It took him a little time to realize that what he was feeling was jealousy. He was so used to being the one with whom Thomas would spend all of the time. Seeing him close with someone else made him feel uneasy.

In August before the beginning of the fifth year, it hit James that he was in love with his best friend. It shocked him, but at the same time, it made so much sense. If he was ever going to love someone, it was obvious that it was going to be Thomas. He was the closest friend he had and his only friend who he truly cared about. This feeling when he saw Thomas with Angelica? It wasn’t just because the Slytherin was his best friend. It was because he wanted to have that with him. But he couldn’t. Because Thomas was happy with Angelica. Until one day.

James and Thomas were sitting by the lake, writing essays. James was trying to ignore how beautiful his friend looked and how much he wanted to tell him what he felt. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t risk anything. Of course Thomas wouldn’t stop being his friend. But James wasn’t sure if he could take the rejection.

“I broke up with Angelica,” Thomas blurted out suddenly.

James froze.

“What?” he asked.

“It just didn’t work out. I don’t feel anything for her anymore. I mean, sure, she’s great, but there’s actually someone else who I care for much more and who I think I really love.”

Who else was close to Thomas except for Angelica and James? He couldn’t think of a single person. Okay, maybe Aaron Burr, but they didn’t hang out that often. Which left only one person. A small smile creeped on his face.

“Really? Who?” he asked.

Thomas was quiet for a moment.

“James, we’ll always be friends, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” James gave him a small smile.

“I love you.”

James got up on his feet. When Thomas did the same, he walked up to him and pressed a quick kiss to the Slytherin’s lips.

“Good. I love you too.”


End file.
